Son of Donegal emigrant among winners in US primary elections

The son of a Co Donegal emigrant was among the winners picked to lead their parties in the US midterm elections in November as primary voters in six states selected their Democratic and Republican candidates to run for Congress.

Brendan Boyle, whose father emigrated to the US from Glencolmcille in 1970, saw off a formidable challenger, Margorie Margolies, mother-in-law of Chelsea Clinton, to be the Democratic pick for Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district in a major win for the 37-year-old state representative.

Mr Boyle's easily defeated the former US congresswoman, despite help she received from her high-profile in-laws with both Bill and Hillary Clinton hosting fundraisers for her. Mr Clinton also featured in a final campaign advert endorsing Ms Margolies (71) and an automatic messaging call to voters.

With almost all of the electoral precincts reporting results last night, Mr Boyle was well in the lead with 41 per cent vote against 27 per cent for Ms Margolies.

Supported by Pennsylvania’s labour unions, Mr Boyle is in pole position to take the House of Representatives seat in the heavily Democratic leaning district that covers Philadelphia. If he wins the House seat as expected, he would be the only member of the US Congress with an Irish-born parent.

Mr Boyle’s father Frank, who grew up in the Donegal Gaeltacht, changed his working hours cleaning Philadelphia’s subway stations so he could canvas for his son in the evenings. Brendan Boyle regularly referred to his father’s working class roots in debates with the other Democrat candidates.

Ms Margolies, who lost her seat as a congresswoman after a single term over her decision to cast a deciding vote for President Clinton’s 1993 budget, struggled throughout the campaign and chose to avoid her Democratic opponents in debates and at public events until late in the campaign.

Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, need six seats to regain the Senate, a victory that would create even more opposition in Congress to President Barack Obama's legislative agenda.

In the most closely watched race of yesterday's primary elections, Mitch McConnell (72), the Republican minority leader in the Senate, defeated challenger Matt Bevin, who was backed by the party's hard-line conservative Tea Party faction, in Kentucky.

The five-term US senator faces a strong challenge from Kentucky secretary of state Alison Lundergan Grimes for a Senate seat that Democrats believe is vulnerable.

Mr McConnell’s victory continued the trend of Republican candidates supported by the party’s traditional business roots winning against more conservative Tea Party-backed challengers.

In Idaho, Congressman Mike Simpson beat Tea Party challenger, attorney Bryan Smith, in another Republican battle that pitted establishment and conservative groups against each other.

In Georgia the top two Republican finishers, businessman David Perdue and Congressman Jack Kingston, both establishment candidates, led a field that included two Tea Party opponents, Congressmen Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey in the race for a seat opened up by the retirement of Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss.

The two candidates will compete in a run-off against each other in July to win the right to challenge Democrat Michelle Nunn, daughter of four-term senator Sam Nunn, in a race that her party sees as the best prospect to steal a seat from Republicans.

Another Republican establishment candidate, surgeon Monica Wehby, won the primary election in Oregon with support from former GOP presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.

Among the seats up for grabs in November, Republicans consider sitting Democrats in North Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana and Montana most vulnerable and seats vacated by retiring senators in Michigan and Iowa winnable as they seek a majority of 51 seats in the Senate in the general election.